Hatton ready for Pacquiao, banks on being stronger fighter

Ricky Hatton recently threw darts with Manny Pacquiao — and won.

On May 2, the two will be throwing punches. Hatton is convinced he'll win at that, too.

Though there won't be any major belts on the line in the first major pay-per-view bout of the year, these junior welterweights will tangle for the championship in what's expected to be nothing short of a war in Las Vegas. Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs), a native of Manchester, England, whose only loss came at 147 pounds, is undefeated at 140 and still holds the lineal designation after dethroning Kostya Tszyu in 2005.

"He gambles with every punch. He puts everything he's got into his left cross," Hatton said of the Filipino southpaw in a conference call last week. "If you can make him miss, he's very open and he's off balance. ... If he misses, he's going to have some big shots waiting for him."

Pacquiao (48-3, 36 KOs) is coming off a career-defining performance in December when he stopped Oscar De La Hoya in his first and only bout at welterweight. Pacquiao began his career at 106 pounds and fought in three weight divisions last year. He's the sport's hottest property, and he's considered the pound-for-pound best fighter.

Hatton's two worst performances of his career came at welterweight — an uneven decision win vs. Luis Collazo and a knockout loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Still, Hatton is convinced he'll be the strongest fighter Pacquiao has faced. De La Hoya was supposed to be bigger than Pacquiao because he campaigned as high as 160 pounds. But on fight night, after both fighters rehydrated from the weigh-in, Pacquiao was heavier than De La Hoya. That has given way to speculation that the Golden Boy was dehydrated, and significantly weaker, for having to come down to a weight class that he hadn't fought in for seven years.

Said Floyd Mayweather Sr., who is training Hatton: "Ricky's got a very good chance of knocking him out. This ain't no dehydrated Oscar De La Hoya."

Barrera-Khan:

It's one of the best boxers of the last generation vs. one who had high hopes of being an elite boxer for this one.

Saturday, when Amir Khan (19-1, 15 KOs) steps into the ring, he'll be facing the most notable opponent of his career in future Hall of Famer Marco Antonio Barrera at M.E.N Arena in Manchester (pay-per-view, 4 p.m. ET).

Barrera's career as a headliner in the USA ended in 2007 with unanimous decision losses to the sport's two best pound-for-pound fighters — Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez.

The Mexican (65-6, 43 KOs) is 2-0 since, but both fights have been off American soil. One opponent was 25-19, the other 1-7-1. He's 35, old for lower-weight class fighters who rely more on speed and reflexes, the first skills to go, than power.

Khan, who stands 5-10, which makes him tall for a lightweight (135), expects to dominate. But he has something to prove. The 2004 Olympic silver medalist from Great Britain was counted out in the first minute against virtual unknown Breidis Prescott last September.

He left his home country to train for this fight with Freddie Roach in Los Angeles. He also sparred with Pacquiao. "The hands are going to be up. I'm going to be more focused," Khan said. "And it's going to be a clinical fight, instead of me rushing in with my hands down, chin up."